On the 18 and 19 of October, Waterborn hosted 200 Stand Up Paddleboarders from nine different nationalities to take part in its 10th Anniversary Edition of SUP The Creek.

The event received the highest Ranked non Ultra Distance event in Great Britain by SUP World Ranking, gaining a 2-star rating - a massive achievement for Waterborn and the local community.

But this didn’t come without challenges, explains Crispin Jones, owner of Waterborn SUP: “Turning our beloved town into an event location capable of catering for that many people is one thing, but the weather had other plans over the weekend to add a layer of complexity to proceedings.

“Thankfully though, since setting up SUP The Creek back in 2015 to showcase the beautiful estuary (RIA), weather and contingency plans are fairly well considered.”

The Saturday Distance races in Kingsbridge moved to Plan C in order to shelter from the worst of the Strong/Moderate South Easterly winds. Kingsbridge though did what it does best and provided a calm, sheltered environment and made for quite the spectacle once the paddlers took to the water ready for their afternoon of racing.

There were three distances which could be chosen depending on confidence and skill levels; 1km suitable for novices and juniors, 6km for those maybe trying an event for the first time or who prefer a shorter race distance and 12km for intermediate to elite paddlers. However, each distance has a challenge fleet which forgo most racing rules and take to the water for the personal challenge and the accomplishment of completing the distance alongside other paddlers.

It was the 12km fleets who were first up, starting in line from the Crabshell Inn, the 90 or so paddlers in the 14’ men’s fleets set off to paddle towards the end of the creek for the first action-packed turn. Quite a sight for those who made the effort to come down and watch proceedings.

Shortly after, the rest of the fleets got underway in staggered starts. “It’s always fantastic to see the estuary alive and vibrant with people making the most of our biggest asset,” says Crispin. “Having thought that this would be the last ever SUP The Creek, it brings such joy to think, with us now changing to a Community Interest Company this legacy can continue for others to enjoy well into the future.”

On Sunday the racing continued down at South Sands with Technical and Sprint racing planned. The weather wasn’t playing ball and despite swapping the timings to run the Sprints in the morning, the tech had to be cancelled due to adverse sea state and wind conditions.

The Sprints were still technical in nature, punching out through small waves which then pushed paddlers back into South Sands once they rounded the turn markers.

There were great performances from locals across the board, but highlights include; Ted Lewrance as 1st Junior across the line, fellow Team GB teammate Rachel Booton finishing 1st overall in the 6km fleets and Will Keetley taking the overall win in the Distance and Sprints.